Čachtice Castle

The Čachtice Castle (Slovak pronunciation: [tʃaxtʲɪtse]) (Slovak: Čachtický hrad, Hungarian: Csejte vára) is a castle ruin in Slovakia next to the village of Čachtice. It stands on a hill featuring rare plants, and has been declared a national nature reserve for this reason. The castle was a residence and later the prison of the Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who is alleged to have been the world's most prolific female serial killer. Čachtice was built in the mid-13th century by Kazimir as a sentry on the road to Moravia. Later, it belonged to Matúš Csák, the Stibor family, and then to the famous Bloody Lady Elizabeth Báthory. Čachtice, its surrounding lands and villages, was a wedding gift from the Nádasdy family upon Elizabeth's marriage...